The top 10 vehicles for your automotive spring fling

Long winter left you itching for a spring fling? These 10 new vehicles should fit the bill

by
John LeBlanc | March 21, 2016

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After a long winter, raging hormones, stark optimism and warmer temperatures can have a strong affect on Canadians. Yes, spring is finally here. For some of us, this “spring fever” could mean starting a spontaneous relationship with another person. For new car buyers, these effects could lead to a highly irrational – and very expensive – purchase.

But just how bad can this spring fever be on the car lot? We’ve put together 10 of the worst-case scenarios by which usually responsible car buyers may be tempted. And to help you make a choice that’s almost as good but still more sensible for your bank account, we’ve also included less costly and more rational alternatives.

Conquest Knight XV

The Conquest Knight XV is based off the Ford Super Duty.

The Canadian-made Conquest Knight XV (Xtreme Vehicle) is the ultimate “spring fling “ ride if you’re a an aspiring dictator looking to take over a neighbouring country. For about $620,000, the Ford Super-Duty-based Knight XV will protect its occupants from more than spring potholes; try land mines and armour-piercing bullets. A 6.8-litre bio-fuel engine powers this beast that weighs about the same as a dozen Smart ForTwos.

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Dodge Viper SRT

Practicality isn’t exactly the Dodge Viper SRT’s forte, but 640 horsepower and a manual transmission helps you forget about that.

Nothing screams “irrational” quite like the Dodge Viper SRT, America’s other super car. There are only two seats on board, its trunk space can handle a Speedo for him and a bikini for her, and we’ve yet to see anyone dare pilot one of Dodge’s 645-horsepower, rear-wheel-drive V10 supercars between the first long weekend in May and Labour Day in September. That alone makes the $117,995 Viper one of the least-practical new vehicle purchases Canadians can buy.

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LaFerrari

The LaFerrari conquers Ferrari’s Fiorano test track three seconds faster than the F12berlinetta.

Sure, for your Italian sports car “spring fling” you could settle for an Alfa Romeo 4C. But if you really want to go nuts, let us present the around-$2 million LaFerrari, arguably one of the craziest new supercars you can buy. The carbon fibre-bodied LaFerrari is the current flagship of Ferrari‘s already outlandish offerings, powered by a 950-horsepower V12 hybrid powertrain, which lends to the ability to lap Ferrari’s Fiorano test track three seconds faster than the already-quick Ferrari F12berlinetta.

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Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willys Wheeler

Does the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willys Wheeler look like it’s capable of tackling more than just drive-thrus? The answer is yes.

Most so-called “off-road” SUVs are never driven on anything rougher than a cedar chip-lined cottage trail. So there’s no denying any rational reason to buy a $36,395 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Willys Wheeler, a vehicle that clearly was designed for more than a drive-thru. From its gas-sucking V6 to its ride and handling package that’s only sophisticated if you were to compare to a horse and buggy, the Jeep makes little sense unless you work for Parks Canada.

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Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder

If you’ve ever wanted to lower the roof of a convertible traveling no faster than 50 km/h, the Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder helps you do that.

As wild as the Dodge Viper and LaFerrari are, those spring fling supercars both deny their respective drivers the traditional spring driving ritual: Taking the top down. Not so with the $289,242 Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4 Spyder. Powered by a mid-mounted 610-horsepower V10 identical to the one found in the hardtop model, the Spyder has the advantage of a convertible top that can be lowered in just 17 seconds up to speeds of 50 km/h.

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Bentley Bentayga

Leave it to the Bentley Bentayga to make the Range Rover Autobiography look “common.”

For the majority of Canadian new vehicle buyers, a compact sedan would meet the majority of their rational transportation needs, which makes the purchase of any SUV seem superfluous. Taking that notion to its irrational limits is the new $241,900 Bentley Bentayga, an ultra-luxury SUV that makes a $150,590 Range Rover Autobiography seem common. For your quarter-million, the Bentayga delivers a supercar-like 600-horsepower twin-turbocharged W12 engine, plus a cabin insides imitates a London gentlemen’s club.

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Mini John Cooper Works Paceman ALL4

Optioned out, the Mini John Cooper Works Paceman pushes $50,000. Not exactly a logical purchase, is it?

A compact, all-wheel-drive hatchback may seem like a rational spring fling purchase. That is, if you’ve never been inside a Mini store, where rational purchases are about as rare as a TruckNutz display. Case in point: The Mini John Cooper Works Paceman ALL4. Producing 208 horsepower from its wee 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the JCW Paceman is the most powerful and expensive not-so-mini Mini you can buy, starting at $39,600 and pushing $50K with all the option boxes checked off.

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Porsche 718 Boxster S

Porsche’s Boxster receives a new look, a new turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a new name for 2017.

Canadian drivers can agree: Winter driving sucks. When the snow melts and it’s time to go for a drive, what better way to do it than a $78,000 Porsche 718 Boxster S roadster, one of the best ways we know to celebrate the arrival of spring? Thoroughly updated this year, Porsche’s last true sports car gains the “718” badge and a more efficient 2.5-litre turbocharged flat-four that makes 350 horsepower in the top-line S.

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Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe and Drophead

The Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe is the ultimate definition of a spring fling vehicle.

For your over-the-top spring fling, we present the ever-ostentatious $438,325 Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe and its Drophead convertible mate, which adds another $148,908 to the price tag. As the two-door versions of the Phantom sedan, the most ostentatious luxury car in the world, both hardtop and convertible are powered by a world-dominating 453-horsepower V12 engine — enough said.

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Smart ForTwo

The Smart ForTwo isn’t exactly a smart buy if you look at what else $17K buys you.

For completely opposite reasons, the $17,300 2016 Smart ForTwo is an equally irrational spring fling buy as the above-mentioned Rollers. For the price of a five-passenger subcompact, the teeny-weeny Smart only has room for two passengers, about enough cargo room for a week’s worth of groceries and, err, that’s about it. Want to throw your mountain bike in the back for ride in the woods? Better call your friend with the “real” car.